The Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls kicked off their opening round playoff series Sunday night, and it was certainly an eventful one.
The Bucks emerged from an ugly game victorious by a score of 93-86. In a game that featured 32 combined turnovers, a combined 36.1 percent on field goals, and 22.7 percent combined on 3-point attempts, the home team was able to claw out a victory to kick off their title defense. Let’s grade the performances.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Chicago Bulls Game 1 Grades: Second Unit: C
The Milwaukee Bucks used nine players total, the five starters plus four reserves in Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton, Grayson Allen and Jevon Carter. George Hill, Milwaukee’s typical backup point guard, was unavailable due to an abdominal injury.
The Milwaukee Bucks second unit managed just 16 total points, 10 coming from Bobby Portis, who also contributed 12 rebounds and kept this group from receiving a worse grade. The four as a whole shot just 5-19 on field goals, 4-15 on 3-point shots and all finished with a negative +/- for the game. With Pat Connaughton shooting 1-of-7 from the field for three points, Grayson Allen going scoreless after missing both of his shot attempts, and Bobby Portis shooting 37.5 percent from the floor, these three are all more than capable of contributing more on offense. Carter is mainly out there for his defense, though he could also light it up on offense at times.
Hopefully all four players can bounce back for game two on Wednesday night when the Bucks are sure to get the best effort the Chicago Bulls can muster.